Caerlaverock Castle

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Archaeological notesNY06NW 6 02548 65638.
For Old Caerlaverock Castle (NY 027 654), see NY06NW 7.
See also NY06NW 12.
(NY 0255 6561) Caerlaverock Castle (NR)
(NY 0251 6580) Gate (NR)
OS 1:10000 Map (1971)
Caerlaverock Castle, fully described in the DoE Guide (B H St J O' Neil 1952) was built about 1290, replacing that described on NY06NW 7.
There were only short breaks in occupation from then until its destruction in 1640, after a siege by Covenanters. Though it was slighted and rebuilt several times during that period, the later builders have followed the original design.
The castle can only be approached from the N. Here there is a rectangular outer courtyard on the slope of the hill; it is entered by a round-arched stone gateway of uncertain date at its NE corner. A low bank round the courtyard suggests that it may once have been defended. Triangular on plan, the castle has massive twin drum-towers and a backing keep or gatehouse at the apex, and circular flanking towers at the other two angles, that to the SW remaining entire. High curtain walls link these towers, enclosing a courtyard; subsidiary buildings have been erected against these walls by a wide moat, beyond which have been earthworks and outer ditches, some of which were modified to create defences during the 1640 siege.
Excavations have revealed remains of four successive timber bridges crossing the moat. Little of the S range of the castle remains, but elsewhere the building is, at least externally, mainly entire to the wallhead.
S Cruden 1956; 1959; 1960; 1963; J G Dunbar 1966; N Tranter 1970; A E Truckell and J Williams 1967
This castle is as described and illustrated by the previous authorities.
Visited by OS (EGC) 18 August 1965
3 fragments of medieval Pottery found while excavating in Caerlaverock Castle, Dumfriesshire, 18 years ago. Factor Lord Herries.
J Williams 1975.
NY 0255 6560 Excavation of a trial pit prior to the creation of a soakaway was monitored in October 1999. The trial pit was located in the W corner of the field to the E of the Guardianship area, and was up to 2.5m in depth.
The excavations indicated that the surface scarp noted in the field is the line of a raised beach. No deposits of archaeological significance were disturbed.
The subsequent programme of drainage improvements was carried out in late February 2000, again with archaeological monitoring. These works involved the machine-excavation of a trench 58m long with a depth ranging from 300-950mm.
In the area to the N of the car park excavations revealed a complex area of cobbling, demolished walls and late cuts. Examination of this group of features suggested the existence of a cobbled surface, complete with central surface drain, with a width E-W of almost 10m. The surface appeared to be bounded to the E and W by roughly built red sandstone walls, with the possible existence of a central wall just W of the surface drain. The cobbles were sealed by up to 500mm of demolition debris, mounded up in the E and centre of the structure, and lensing out to the E and W. A late drain appeared to be cut into the position of the E wall, while a wide depression-like cut filled with debris and redeposited natural lay over the W wall. The whole was sealed with between 100-250mm of topsoil.
There is clearly a substantial structure existing to the S of the cottages adjacent to the entrance archway which may have been partly removed by the new car park. The structure appears to be a large cobbled compound of some sort, aligned N-S, which may have had a perimeter wall and been unroofed. No slates or tiles were found in the demolition debris covering the floor levels. The surface drain seems to indicate that livestock may have been housed within the structure.
Sponsor: Historic Scotland
D Stewart and P Sharman 2000
NY 025 656 Monitoring works at Caerlaverock Castle comprised the excavation of soakaway trenches in the grazed pasture field to the W of the Guardianship area, WSW of the visitor centre, and a hole for a septic tank to the SW of the toilet block. The monitoring of the soakaway trenches was undertaken on several visits during October, November and December 2001, and the excavation of the pit for the septic tank was monitored in January 2001.
This part of the Guardianship area has been used for dumping debris as well as for the creation of the car park. However, this material appears mostly to have sealed the surviving archaeology rather than destroying it, although it did stop the geophysical surveys from picking up the remains. The ditch cut also shows that archaeology survives below the pasture, despite it having been ploughed in the past. These are encouraging results for the survival of medieval remains in a superficially unpromising part of the monument.
A watching brief was also undertaken in the woods to the S of Caerlaverock Castle while trees were felled. There was no significant damage to the earthworks. The features recorded show that the earthworks in the wooded area of the Caerlaverock Estate are more complex and extensive than usually depicted. It may be possible, with further work, to identify which features are associated with the old castle, with the sieges, with water catchment and with later estate management, potentially including the use of the grounds as romantic pleasure gardens.
Archive to be deposited in the NMRS.
Sponsor: HS
G Ewart and P Sharman 2002.
NY 025 656 Archaeological monitoring was undertaken in August 2004 while contractors hand-dug a telephone cable trench in the field to the N of the monument. Nothing of archaeological significance was seen in this long slit trench.
Archive to be deposited in the NMRS.
Sponsor: HS.
D Stewart 2004
NY 0252 6582 Archaeological monitoring was undertaken in November 2004 while a post-hole was dug in the field to the N of the monument within the Guardianship area of Caerlaverock Castle (NY06NW 6). Nothing of archaeological significance was seen.
Archive to be deposited in NMRS.
Sponsor: HS
D Stewart 2005
NY 025 656 Reconnaissance coring of the sediments of the moat systems of Caerlaverock New Castle. The results of sediment coring within the outer moat are that the highly organic pond and peat sediments infilling the outer moat are interrupted by distinctive inwashed bands of grey minerogenic silty clays and clays. These are recorded up to 8.5 m OD. The data provisionally suggest that the outer moat may have been impacted by extreme marine flood events that were to at least this altitude, in the same way that the moat system at the Old Castle had been inundated. This interpretation remains tentative until definitive sediment- and bio-stratigraphic analyses can confirm the marine origin of the minerogenic sediments, but if confirmed would represent evidence for the most exceptional Medieval and post-Medieval marine inundation of all of the lower Lochar Valley.
R Tipping 2004
NY 025 656 Archaeological monitoring was undertaken during the digging of five trenches to establish the nature of the ground make-up to the N of the castle. This work was carried out in June 2006 in advance of the potential installation of a new drainage system. New drains were considered necessary since sustained periods of rain had been seen to leave areas waterlogged.
This trenching activity allowed a profile to be established in the proposed route of future drainage, and that there is a variation in the ground make-up from natural deposits to various road phases to modern landscaping. Partially revealed, unmortared masonry may be a reduced field wall. There were no other finds or features of archaeological significance.
Archive to be deposited in NMRS.
Sponsor: Historic Scotland
Paul Fox and Thom Walley, 2006.
NY 025 656 Archaeological monitoring was undertaken in August 2006 during the digging of five small trenches to hold the poured-concrete foundations of new information boards. There were no finds or features of archaeological significance....

66100 (19/7/1962)Excavation photographs: Area XV. General view; hollow in bank; general view of 14/16 and 15/16; W curtain wall and Murdoch's Tower; general views; N angle of bank; general view; gatehouse with flooded moat; before erection of new bridge; general view of trench 14/16.

66100 (12/6/1959)Excavation photographs: Trench XI, junction of causeway and road; junction of causeway and rock-cut edge of moat; general view of trench XII; general view of trench XI from gatehouse; junction of causeway and rock cut edge of moat with timber 2C and 3C; trench XI, roadway; trenches XI and XII showing continuation of roadway.

66100 (26/5/1959)Excavation photographs: Trench XI. Stone causeway and timber raft, with timbers 2B and 3B; causeway; gatehouse forework with timber 4 after removal of later stone bridge abuttment; causeway; gatehouse; general view of causeway from gatehouse; E side of timber raft; water tank for timber preservation, with timber; general view of gatehouse forework; timber raft; water tank.

66100 (11/5/1959)Excavation photographs: Gatehouse, with bridge abuttment and sole plate of bridge 4; bridge abuttment and stone casuseway on N side of moat; detail of sole plate 1B; W end of timbers 1C, 2A and 3A; W end of timber 1B; detail of E side of causeway and later bridge abuttment; detail of timbers; timbers 1C, 2A and 3A; timber 2A; timber 1B; SE corner of causeway and timber raft; timbers 1C, 2A and 3A; W end of timbers 2B and 3B with remains of upright and pegs.

66100 (19/1/1996)Excavation archive: Correspondance regarding finds; sketch of lock by W N Robertson; early draft of finds report by L Laing, including reports on the ironwork by I Goodall and glasswork by R Hurst-Vose; draft finds catalogue by D Gallagher with comments by I Goodall; notes regarding finds and investigations other than those by I MacIvor; foreman's notes with a record of all finds.

66100 (19/1/1996)Excavation archive: Draft report by I MacIvor for use in the preparation of final publication by C Tabraham and D Gallagher.

66100 (8/1963)Excavation archive: Notes on excavation of E rampart; notes on excavations at N end of E curtain wall; notes on the bridge over the outer moat; reconstruction sketches of the bridge over the outer moat; notes on the road over the high bank.

66100 (1959)Excavation archive: Summaries of excavations; note on burning on counterscarp rock slope; note on bridges; catalogues of individual timbers; finds catalogues; list of drawings required by November 1959; correspondance between I MacIvor and S Rigold regarding the use of information from Caerlaverock in a paper by Mr Rigold; copy of text concerning Caerlaverock by S Rigold; draft copy of paper 'Timber bridges at English Castles and Moated Sites' by S Rigold.

66100 (1959)Excavation archive: Letter from M MacIvor to Mr Cartwright to organise the excavation; excavation journal; list of things to do; list of finds with contexts.

1252784 (3/8/2011)Oblique aerial view of Caerlaverock Castle, taken from the ENE.

1252783 (3/8/2011)Oblique aerial view of Caerlaverock Castle, taken from the SSE.

1252782 (3/8/2011)Oblique aerial view of Caerlaverock Castle, taken from the SW.

1252781 (3/8/2011)Oblique aerial view of Caerlaverock Castle, taken from the NNW.

1252780 (3/8/2011)Oblique aerial view of Caerlaverock Castle, taken from the ENE.

1252779 (3/8/2011)Oblique aerial view of Caerlaverock Castle, taken from the ESE.

1252778 (3/8/2011)Oblique aerial view of Caerlaverock Castle, taken from the SSE.

1252777 (3/8/2011)Oblique aerial view of Caerlaverock Castle, taken from the SW.

1252776 (3/8/2011)General oblique aerial view of Caerlaverock Castle, taken from the WSW.

1252774 (3/8/2011)General oblique aerial view of Caerlaverock Castle, taken from the WNW.

968873 (10/1914)Caerlaverock Castle.
Copy of Ground and first floor plans, elevations of South wall of gatehouse c.1500 and 15th century.

66100 (1925)PHOTOGRAPH ALBUM NO 63: THE BORTHWICK ALBUM
Photograph album with views of sites across Scotland, including Borthwick Castle as well as family photographs.

66100 (1910)PHOTOGRAPH ALBUM NO.137: SUSAN FREER'S ALBUM
Maroon half calf, hard backed album with gold trim on covers and spine, 29 card pages.
Inscribed inside in ink: 'Susan M Freer October 1910'.
A collection of postcards, photographs and pages from theatre programmes with hand written titles and dates between 1900 and 1917.
Contains photographs of Fordel Villa, Melrose, the Freer family's home for at least thirty years before this, and also shown are Spring Hill, St Baldred's Church (and Rev Gill) and Marly Knowe (Old Abbey Road) all North Berwick; Crichton House, Mountainhall 1909/10 and 1 Albany 1913 both Dumfries; Bangour Village station 1912; Ash Bank, Kippford 1913 and the garden of Balgonie, Colinton 1914. There are snapshots of Polly, Boodles, G and C Wade and Dorothy's wedding, 1903 and Bobby's birthday party 19 July 1910 at Liberton; Teddy Davies (3) and Ellen Davies (4); KW McEwen (2) is shown alongside a birth notice reading: "McEwen at St Vincent, Cape Verde Islands on 9th inst. Wife of FA McEwen, a daughter".
A group of women at St Andrews is captioned Girls' Diocesan Week 1915.

66100 (1870)PHOTOGRAPH ALBUM NO.26: MOFFAT ALBUM
Album of professional prints, dark purple leather with black spine and corners, gilt inlay.
Album of J. Valentine and G.W.Wilson prints of houses, castles, churches, bridges and topography.
Includes pictures of coaches and views including "Descending the Pass of Melfort in a coach and four" by George Washington Wilson and Ben Nevis Observatory.

66100 (1860)PHOTOGRAPH ALBUM NO 18: CARTE-DE-VISITE MINIATURE ALBUM
Window Album of Carte-de-Viste, light brown leather, embossed to give the appearance of door with coat of arms on front.
Gilt edged pages, metal clasp.
Insc: [2nd page] "Photos collected on my journeys."
Album of 49 cartes-de-viste of castles, towns, churches, bridges, houses and topography.